25 Woods Lake Road, Building 8, Greenville, SC
When Christ left heaven to come and save us, He didn’t stop halfway or just give His second-best. He gave up everything for us by willingly pouring out His blood on the cross. Knowing that Christ gave His all for us, we must ask ourselves the question, “Am I giving my all for Him?”
Jim Elliot is quoted as saying “He is no fool, who gives what he cannot keep, to gain what he cannot lose.” Jesus response to the widow who gave 2 copper coins is very revealing; he does not say she gave all her money, he says she gave all she had to live on. Luke 12:15 says “One’s life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions”. If our life isn’t in our possessions, what is Jesus referring to when he says this widow woman gave all she had to live on?
Jesus made it unmistakably clear that it was impossible to follow Him without a cost. But too often we think of the ‘cost’ in terms of something that probably only applies to other people, not to us. This kind of thinking has caused the weight of the Great Commission to fall on the shoulders of a few, while the majority simply stand by and look on. The fact is, the mission of Christ will never be carried out without a high cost. Are you willing to be a part of it?
We are constantly bombarded with advertising designed to make us discontent with what we have so that we will always feel compelled to pursue something more. This can easily send us on a never-ending quest for happiness and fulfillment; always thinking, “I’ll be happy when…” or “I’d be happier if…” In stark contrast to this, the Bible calls us to live a life of contentment, but is that even possible? Today’s message reveals the secret of being content, even in a world that isn’t.
When we were children, most of us had things handed down to us. Perhaps we had clothes from an older sibling handed down to us, or toys they had outgrown. That first Christmas 2,000 years ago truly was a hand-me-down Christmas. God handed down His Son to a sinful world. Jesus humbled Himself and was made a little lower than the angels in order to come and save us. This Christmas, you may receive all the gifts you’ve ever wanted, but have you ever received the one Gift you really need?
Imagine spending weeks searching for the perfect gift for someone you dearly love, paying an outrageous price to purchase it, carefully wrapping it in just the right paper, then giving it to them with great excitement, only to have them throw it in the trash can! Surely no one would ever respond to such extravagant kindness in such a cruel way. Yet the Bible tells us that God gave the gift of His Son to the world, and they rejected Him. John 1:11 says, “He came to his own, but his own did not receive him.” What have you done with the gift of Jesus? Are there areas of your life where He is still unwanted?
The world puts all kinds of labels on us to define who we are: smart or dumb, pretty or ugly, popular or unpopular, successful or failure. The truth is, all of those labels are lies! We are not defined by any of those things. Jesus met many people whose lives were shaped and limited by the negative labels society had placed on them, but His transforming power set them free from those lies and gave them a brand new identity in Him. Don’t allow other people to define you. Find your identity in Christ alone!
None of us would put much value on a single sheet of paper. And yet a piece of paper once sold for almost $750,000… not because of the paper, but because of whose name was on it. It was a letter signed by Abraham Lincoln. The same is true with us. We ourselves are worthless jars of clay, but because Christ has put His name on us, we now have incalculable value! We have value, not because of who we are, but because of whose we are. It’s time to stop basing our worth on our own identity, and start discovering the real value we have been given in Christ!
In moments of raw honesty, it is startling to discover the negative words people often use to describe how they see themselves: ugly, fat, unloveable, stupid, worthless. Still others use words like depressed, lonely, unwanted, fearful, addict, hopeless, etc. And the sad reality is, these are actual terms used, not just by unsaved people to describe themselves, but by Christians! It’s time for the church to expose the lies Satan is telling us and discover the truth about who the Bible says we really are in Christ!
When you think about your plans for the future, what percentage of those plans revolve around you, your needs, your dreams, your happiness, your money, your comfort? How is it possible that those of us who call ourselves followers of Christ are so preoccupied with our own agenda rather than being totally consumed with His agenda? Because of what Christ has done for us, we have been called to live our lives entirely for Him. What would it take to move you from where you are to that kind of life?
We could search the universe high and low for the ultimate display of God’s power, exploring from the wonders of earth all the way to the largest galaxies. But all those things would fall short of showing the fullness of God’s power. If we want to see the greatest demonstration of the power of God, we will find it in the message of the Gospel, when a sinful man is forgiven, transformed and made completely righteous before a holy God. There is no greater power to be seen!
Have you ever known someone who seemed to have it all, and yet it wasn’t enough? On the other hand, have you ever known someone who had very little, and they were bitter and resentful because others had more than they did? But the real question is, how content are you? Once you learn the secret of contentment, God’s power will be alive in you, and your life will be a blessing and an inspiration to others.
